Serena Williams is bowing out, and she will end her remarkable career at the place she truly broke onto the world stage.
Williams' upcoming appearance at Flushing Meadows won't just be her last at the US Open, but her last in any tournament. She is retiring at the age of 40, with 23 grand slam singles titles to her name.
That is a record haul for any player, male or female, in the Open Era, but it is one short of Margaret Court's all-time tally.
Barring an unlikely charge for a first major win since the 2017 Australian Open, Court's record will remain intact for now.
The first slam singles title for Williams came way back in 1999, at the US Open. She has had ups and downs at the tournament through the years, but here Stats Perform looks at Williams' greatest Flushing Meadows achievements.
1999: Maiden grand slam success
Williams missed Wimbledon through injury but returned with a victory in Los Angeles at the JPMorgan Chase Open, setting the stage for an incredible maiden grand slam triumph. She defeated WTA greats Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles and defending champion Lindsay Davenport to reach the final in New York. World number one Martina Hingis stood in her way, but the Swiss was no match – Williams won 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to truly make her mark at the age of 17.
2002: Sibling rivalry
Williams reached the final of the 2001 tournament, but it was her older sister Venus who triumphed. It was the first grand slam tournament to be contested by two sisters during the Open Era. The following year, the super siblings matched up in three of the four majors, and it was Serena who came up trumps in all three, capping that off with a 6-4 6-3 triumph at the US Open. The younger Williams sibling went on to win the Australian Open in 2003 too, sealing the 'Serena Slam' and making her the first player to hold the four major titles simultaneously since Steffi Graf in 1994.
2012: Azarenka challenge
Williams has enjoyed plenty of thrilling rivalries down the years, and, Venus aside, arguably the standout of them all has been the battle she has enjoyed with Victoria Azarenka. The pair have contested 23 matches in total, with Serena holding an 18-5 winning record. Their first meeting in a grand slam final came in 2012 at Flushing Meadows, in a season that had already seen Williams beat the Belarusian three times, including in the semi-finals of Wimbledon and in the last four of the London Olympics, also held at the All England Club, and she continued that run with a hard-fought 6-2 2-6 7-5 triumph in New York, battling back from 5-3 down and within two points of defeat in the deciding set to win a 15th major.
2014: Three in a row kick-starts Serena Slam II
Williams went on to defeat Azarenka again in the 2013 final, and she made it three US Open titles on the bounce with a straight-sets defeat of Caroline Wozniacki a year later. It saw Williams equal the Open Era record of 18 singles major titles, matching Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, and she did not lose a set across the entire tournament. This triumph also paved the way for her second 'Serena Slam', as like in 2002-03, Williams went on to win all four majors in a row.
2020: History maker
No stranger to records, it is fitting that the last time Williams appeared at the US Open – before this year – she went on to etch her name into the Flushing Meadows history books yet again. A 7-5 6-3 first-round win over Kristie Ahn was hardly the most convincing of starts, but it saw Williams reach 102 match wins at the tournament, overtaking six-time champion Evert for the most career singles wins at the competition by a male or female player. She reached the semi-finals, becoming the first player in history to reach the last four of a major in four different decades (the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s), but lost to old foe Azarenka, who in turn went down to Naomi Osaka in the showpiece.
Safiullin triumph 'very close to a 10', insists Djokovic
Novak Djokovic believed his straight-set triumph against Roman Safiullin at the Shanghai Masters was almost perfect, while reiterating his desire to compete at the very top.
Djokovic, featuring in his first tournament since his shock US Open exit, was largely untroubled in a 6-3 6-2 win against the Russian on Wednesday.
The world number four's triumph also saw him become the first player to reach 10 quarter-finals at the tournament in Shanghai, claiming his 37th victory in the process.
Djokovic is on a quest to claim his 100th ATP tour title, hoping to join the elite club that includes only Jimmy Connor and Roger Federer who have reached that milestone.
The Serbian had already beaten Alex Michelsen and Flavio Cobolli to reach the round of 16, and will face Czech teenager Jakub Mensik for a place in the final four.
And the 24-time grand slam champion said his tennis at the tournament so far is bringing him "a lot of joy".
"Very close to 10. The [past two matches] are some of the best matches I've played in a while," Djokovic said.
"I'm enjoying myself on the court and when you play well you are feeling good, there is a lot of joy in striking a tennis ball.
"These matches and sensations are the reasons why I still play.
"I believe I can play at a high level and it's about keeping that consistency.”
Goffin produces Zverev upset to reach Shanghai quarters
David Goffin produced a vintage display to down second seed Alexander Zverev and book his place in the quarter-finals at the Shanghai Masters on Wednesday.
Goffin, who has now reached the last eight of an ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time since 2021, emerged a 6-4 7-5 victor in just under two hours.
The Belgian was the first to take an early grip of the contest, finally managing a break point at the third time of asking in the third game, only for Zverev to respond straight after.
But Goffin was able to find another break of serve, with the world number 66 closing out the first set with a love game to take a surprise lead.
Despite Zverev starting with a love game of his own in the second, the German quickly found himself 3-1 down as Goffin threatened to run away with the tie.
However, the second seed clawed his way back into the contest, levelling the score, but Goffin remained composed, sealing the victory with another love game.
Goffin will face seventh seed Taylor Fritz for a spot in the final four in Shanghai after the American swept aside Holger Rune 6-1 6-2 in just 55 minutes earlier in the day.
Data Debrief: Goffin joins elite club
Goffin has become only the second player to defeat Zverev head-to-head on hard, grass and clay courts at ATP level, along with Roger Federer.
With the Belgian, who is the 66th ranked player in the world, and Jakub Mensik, who is one place above, now through, it is the first time multiple players ranked outside the ATP's top 50 have made the quarter-finals at the Shanghai Masters since the event's inauguration in 2009.
Djokovic marches into 10th Shanghai quarter-final
Novak Djokovic saw off Roman Safiullin to reach his 10th Shanghai Masters quarter-final with a straight-sets win on Wednesday.
The Serb, a four-time champion in the tournament, rallied to a 6-3 6-2 victory in just 74 minutes.
Djokovic made a lightning-quick start, serving to love to win the opening game, but had to remain patient as he waited for an opening, which he found with a three-game winning streak at the end of the first set.
Any hopes Safiullin had of a comeback were then squashed as he saw his serve broken first in the second.
Djokovic was clinical from that point, defending a break point – his third in the match – before claiming another break on his way to a comfortable victory.
As his hunt for a 100th tour-level title goes on, Jakub Mensik now stands between Djokovic and a place in the last four.
Data Debrief: Djokovic continues Shanghai dominance
At his 95th at ATP Masters 1000 events overall, Djokovic has become the first player to reach 10 quarter-finals at the Shanghai Masters, since its inauguration in 2009.
It was also his 37th win at the tournament, extending his own record as he keeps the title in his sights.
If he can get his hands on the trophy, he would be just the third man to win 100 tour-level titles in the Open Era (after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer).
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